No one can deny China’s efforts to reach for the sky.
At one kilometer high, the two Phoenix Towers planned for Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China, will be the tallest in the world if completed on schedule in 2017.
The towers will also be pink, crazily futuristic and environmentally friendly.
Designed to sit on an island in a lake, the largest of the towers will stand 172 meters taller than Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
“We were asked to create an iconic building for Wuhan, which embodies a strong environmental and social content as well as reflecting Chinese tradition,” Laurie Chetwood of UK-based design firm Chetwoods Architects told CNN.
The design is inspired by dualism(二元论) in Chinese culture-the traditional Chinese phoenix symbol of the two birds, Feng and Huang, as well as the idea of yin and yang.
Feng and Huang, or phoenix, are a pair of mythical birds in Chinese culture traditionally used to denote royalty.
Three large spheres containing restaurants will be accessible via suspended “skywalks” between the two towers.
The spheres “represent planets orbiting the towers”, according to the designers.
The larger building will also have the unlikely boast of housing the world’s tallest kaleidoscope(万花筒) driven by a wind turbine(涡轮机).
A commercial square at the towers’ base will meet China’s growing demand for cultural tourism.
“You’ll have a French street, a Japanese street, a Turkish street, and so forth… to allow people to see the world without necessarily having to leave China,” Chetwood told the Guardian.
The towers are designed to have green features such as pollution-absorbing surfaces to filter the city’s air as well as technology to filter the water.
The towers are designed to be able to produce enough power to fulfill their own needs and those of neighboring areas.
“If you work in the UK, if you come up with anything that’s off the wall ( 有点出格的) or slightly out there, you sort of get kicked back,” Chetwood said. “ In China it goes the other way- they ask for a bit more. That’s a stimulating experience for a designer.”
1.Which of the following about the two Phoenix Towers is TRUE?
A. Their inspiration comes from Chinese culture.
B. At present they are the tallest in the world.
C. They will be surrounded by three ground-level spheres.
D. People will have a taste of foreign flavors inside the spheres.
2.According to Laurie Chetwood in the last paragraph, China’s response to new ideas is _________.
A. doubtful B. negative
C. cautious D. enthusiastic
3.This article focuses on the _________ of the two Phoenix Towers.
A. appearances B. construction
C. features D. height
4. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Phoenix Towers: Pink and controversial.
B. The Phoenix Towers: Super tall and green.
C. The Phoenix Towers: Work of a Great Architect.
D. The Phoenix Towers: Work of China-UK cooperation.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
No one can deny China’s efforts to reach for the sky.
At one kilometer high, the two Phoenix Towers planned for Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China, will be the tallest in the world if completed on schedule in 2017.
The towers will also be pink, crazily futuristic and environmentally friendly.
Designed to sit on an island in a lake, the largest of the towers will stand 172 meters taller than Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
“We were asked to create an iconic building for Wuhan, which embodies a strong environmental and social content as well as reflecting Chinese tradition,” Laurie Chetwood of UK-based design firm Chetwoods Architects told CNN.
The design is inspired by dualism(二元论) in Chinese culture-the traditional Chinese phoenix symbol of the two birds, Feng and Huang, as well as the idea of yin and yang.
Feng and Huang, or phoenix, are a pair of mythical birds in Chinese culture traditionally used to denote royalty.
Three large spheres containing restaurants will be accessible via suspended “skywalks” between the two towers.
The spheres “represent planets orbiting the towers”, according to the designers.
The larger building will also have the unlikely boast of housing the world’s tallest kaleidoscope(万花筒) driven by a wind turbine(涡轮机).
A commercial square at the towers’ base will meet China’s growing demand for cultural tourism.
“You’ll have a French street, a Japanese street, a Turkish street, and so forth… to allow people to see the world without necessarily having to leave China,” Chetwood told the Guardian.
The towers are designed to have green features such as pollution-absorbing surfaces to filter the city’s air as well as technology to filter the water.
The towers are designed to be able to produce enough power to fulfill their own needs and those of neighboring areas.
“If you work in the UK, if you come up with anything that’s off the wall ( 有点出格的) or slightly out there, you sort of get kicked back,” Chetwood said. “ In China it goes the other way- they ask for a bit more. That’s a stimulating experience for a designer.”
1.Which of the following about the two Phoenix Towers is TRUE?
A. Their inspiration comes from Chinese culture.
B. At present they are the tallest in the world.
C. They will be surrounded by three ground-level spheres.
D. People will have a taste of foreign flavors inside the spheres.
2.According to Laurie Chetwood in the last paragraph, China’s response to new ideas is _________.
A. doubtful B. negative
C. cautious D. enthusiastic
3.This article focuses on the _________ of the two Phoenix Towers.
A. appearances B. construction
C. features D. height
4. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Phoenix Towers: Pink and controversial.
B. The Phoenix Towers: Super tall and green.
C. The Phoenix Towers: Work of a Great Architect.
D. The Phoenix Towers: Work of China-UK cooperation.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
No one can deny that buttons are an important clothing device. But, can they rise to the level of art? Organizers of an exhibit in New York think so.
Peter Souleo Wright organized “The Button Show” at Rush Arts Gallery in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Eleven artists used the small, ordinary objects to create sculptures, portraits and wearable art. Some of the works are political, some are personal and others are just fun.
Wright said each artist reimagines and repurposes the buttons to make art. “What I tried to do with this show,” he said , “was to look at artists who were promoting that level of craft.”
He said he wanted the button art to be comparable to a painting “because of the amount of detail and precision in the work”.
Artist Beau McCall produced “A Harlem Hangover”. It looks like a wine bottle that fell over on a table. A stream of connected red buttons hang over the side, like wine flowing down. Similar red buttons form a small pool on the floor.
McCall layers buttons of different shapes and sizes to create the bottle. The stitching that holds them together is also part of the artistic design.
For San Francisco-based artist Lisa Kokin, buttons are highly personal. After her father died in 2001, she created a portrait of him using only buttons. That memorial to her father led to other button portraits, including those of activists Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez.
Others use buttons for details. Artist Amalia Amaki of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, placed them on and around old photographs. Los Angeles artist Camilla Taylor attached buttons to three large sculptures that look like headless animals with long , narrow legs.
“The Button Show” ends at March 12. The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation paid for the exhibition. The foundation was created in 1995 by the Simmons brothers: artist Danny, hip-hop producer Russell and rapper Rev. Run. The foundation seeks to bring the artists to urban youth and to provide support for new artists.
1.Why did Wright organize “The Button Show”?
A. To show the importance of buttons.
B. To support the new artists.
C. To raise the button show to the level of art.
D. To create sculptures and portraits.
2.Whose works are personal?
A. Peter Souleo Wright. B. Beau McCall.
C. Lisa Kokin. D. Amalia Amaki.
3.If you want to see “The Button Show”, you should ________.
A. buy tickets before March 12
B. phone Peter Souleo Wright before March 12
C. go to Rush Arts Gallery
D. go to the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundationn
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
His efforts to raise money for his program were ______ because, no one showed any intention to take a cent out of their pockets.
A. in place B. in sight C. in effect D. in vain
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
His efforts to raise money for his program were ________ because no one showed any intention to take a cent out of their pockets.
A.in place B.in sight C.in effect D.in vain
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
His efforts to raise money for his program were ________ because no one showed any intention to take a cent out of their pockets.
A.in place B.in sight
C.in effect D.in vain
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
--- Can you shoot that bird at the top of the tree?
--- No, it's out of ____.
A. range B.reach C. control D. distance
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Can animals be artistic? Painting and music are part of efforts to keep animals happy at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
A sloth bear (长毛熊) called Francois is one of the National Zoo’s artists. He began his artistic career two years ago. Francois has a very unusual way to paint. He uses his breathing to paint. His zookeeper, Stacey Tabellario, says that although the technique may look strange, it is actually a very natural behavior for sloth bears. The zookeepers fill one of those tubes full of paint and ask them to breathe through it. And they blow all of the paints onto the canvases (画布), making these really cool paintings.
Animal artists come in all shapes and sizes at the Zoo. They use many kinds of techniques to create their works of art. Apes use paintbrushes. Many use their paws or claws—much like a human painter who would use his or her hands.
Stacey Tabellario says Francois seems to enjoy expressing himself through his art. “When I set up the materials for painting activity, he comes and sits next to them and waits until they are ready for painting. He does that every time. I also see where his eyes go. He does see the paints come out of the tube and land on the canvas.”
But not every animal wants to paint. Music is another part of the arts enrichment program. Physically and mentally stimulating activities are an important part of the daily care of the animals. Trainers have a lot of tools, from tablet computer to small toys.
Kenton Kerns says the program helps the animals and the zookeepers in many ways. Every interaction between keepers and their animals creates some sort of connections. The one-of-a-kind works of art created by the animals are popular with zoo visitors. Many are sold at the zoo’s fund-raising events.
1.From Paragraph 2, we can learn that ________.
A. Francois is a two-year-old artist at the National Zoo
B. Francois can make fantastic paintings with paintbrushes
C. Francois, way to paint is an unnatural behavior for sloth bears
D. Francois paints by blowing the paints in the tubes onto the canvas
2.According to the passage, the apes paint by ________.
A. blowing the tubes full of paints
B. using their hands directly
C. using some tools
D. walking on the canvas
3.From the last paragraph, we can learn the works of art created by the animals ________.
A. can be sold at a high price
B. are mainly popular with the kids
C. create higher prices than the artists
D. can be bought at the zoo’s fund-raising events
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Zoo animals show artistic side.
B. Painting and music are useful in the zoo.
C. Animals enjoy painting.
D. Animals need enrichment too.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
---Can you shoot that bird at the top of the tree?
---No, it’s out of ________.
A.range B.reach C.control D.distance
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
One mile long runway can take people across the oceans, to reach every corner of the world.
That’s the magic power of airplanes as well as airports. Similar as most airports are, some do have their unique features.
Lukla Airport
Lukla Airport, is a small airport in the town of in the town of Lukla, eastern Nepal. A program titled Most Extreme Airports, rated the airport as the most dangerous airport in the world. The airport is popular because Lukla is the place where most people start the climb to Mount Everest Base Camp. High wind, cloud cover, and changing visibility often mean flights can be delayed or the airport closed. The airport’s runway is accessible only to helicopters and small, fixed-wing, short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. The runway is only 527m with an elevation of 2,845m.
Princess Juliana International Airport
Princess Juliana International Airport is in the country of Saint Maarten. The airport is perhaps best known for very low-altitude flyover landing approaches due to one end of its runway being extremely close to the shore and Maho Beach. The thrilling approaches and ease of access for shooting spectacular images make the airport one of the world’s favorite places among plane spotters.
Gibraltar Airport
Gibraltar Airport serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, a tiny peninsula with an area of only 6.8 square kilometers. The lack of flat space there means the peninsula’s only runway is bisected by its busiest road, the Winston Churchill Avenue that heads towards the land border with Spain. It is really scary that there is a four lane highway passing through the middle of the runway!
Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport was officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new one at Chek Lap Kok, 30 kms to the west. With numerous skyscrapers and mountains located to the north and its only runway jutting out into Victoria Harbour, landing at the airport were dramatic to experience and technically demanding for pilots. The low altitude manoeuvre required to line up with the runway was so spectacular that some passengers claimed to have glimpsed the television through apartment windows along the final approach.
1.Which of the following pictures can be a scene of Princess Juliana International Airport
2.All of the following can be inferred from this passage Except ________.
A. The transportation of Winston Churchill Avenue might be affected by planes.
B. Lukla airport is the most dangerous airport because of extremely harsh weather
C. An inexperienced pilot might have difficulty landing on Kai Tak Airport
D. People on Maho Beach may have a good chance to view the plane flying overhead
3.Which of these airports is out of business now?
A. Lukla Airport
B. Princess Juliana International Airport
C. Gibraltar Airport
D. Kai Tak Airport
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is difficult to find a taxi waiting at the train station at this time you can hire to reach your host family.
A. when B. where C. which D. as
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析